While growing up, Solomon “Lionheart” Okelola and his younger brother loved to watch martial arts and action movies. Most of their free time was spent watching Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van-Damme, Jet Li, Bruce Lee and others. His low vision required him to sit quite close to the television screen to see what was going on, as he had no low vision aids, while his younger brother frequently repeated what was being said for him to hear. If they were not playing football or reading, the two brothers would always be found watching martial arts movies together.
During his undergraduate years at the University of Ibadan, Solomon took his passion for the martial arts a step further- he joined the Taekwondo club on campus and despite his dual disability, he was doing quite well. However, it seemed to be the end of the road for his education pursuit and future dreams when he lost his residual vision in July 2009- halfway through his third year in the University.
While he struggled to stay focused and use the learning and experience gained from helping his blind coursemates and friends in the department to adjust to life without sight, he was unable to pursue his training in taekwondo. However, driven by his determination to prove the abilities in disabilities, Solomon went on to graduate as the best graduating student of the Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan 2010, finishing top in a class of 45 students.
10 years after his graduation from the University of Ibadan, he launched Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation, with which he pioneered the Deafblind advocacy work in Nigeria, and after 5years of persistent struggle, he and his team members, with support from the Disability Rights Fund, succeeded in launching Deafblindness as the 9th disability cluster in Nigeria, at a national conference on October 8 2024.
All this while, Solomon never gave up on his passion to learn the martial arts. One sunny afternoon in June 2023, in the company of one of his Tactile Sign Language Interpreters, he strolled into the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos in search of a martial arts coach. While he was unable to locate a taekwondo coach, he met with Shihan Ayodeji Idowu, a Karate Coach with years of training persons with disabilities in Karate. Although he was meeting with a Deafblind for the first time, he agreed to take up training Solomon in the art.
Thus the journey began. While his dual disability presented severe difficulties in his training, his dogged determination, the understanding, skill and patience of his Coach gradually paid off and he became one of those selected to represent Lagos State at the National Para-athletes festival- Abuja 2026.
“My major aim of representing Lagos State at the Para-Games was not to win a medal. I saw it as a part of my mission to prove that persons with Deafblindness can compete favorably with their peers with single or no disability in virtually any venture or sport. So I was a dual flagbearer at the Para-Games: I was representing Lagos State, and representing my fellow Nigerians with Deafblindness who were just beginning to find their feet within the disability community. So I went with double determination to do my best”.
That determination paid off as he took a good lead from the onset but eventually lost the Blind Male category contest to a contestant from Plateau State who displayed superior fighting technique, although it was generally argued that Solomon had a superior command of the basics. Itt was however a successful expedition for the Lagos State Karate Team and Coach- Sensi Geraldine Idowu, as Miss Joyce Otunba won the gold medal for the female wheelchair Karate and Mr. Adewale Lawal made a good bid for the bronze medal in the Bllllind Male Category bbbbbbut lost to a contestant from Ekiti State.
One of the brightest moment came at the medals award ceremony when a senior officer of the Karate Federation of Nigeria publicly voiced out everyone’s admiration at seeing a Deafblind contestant at the Games for the first time and declared his intention to personally appreciate Solomon’s performance.
“Every person with disabilities can not only achieve whatever they set out to do”, Solomon said, “they can excel therein, when they have the needed accommodation and support. I wish to appreciate everyone who has always stood by me from the onset, as well as my personal Coach, Shihan Ayodeji Idowu, the Lagos State Karate Coach, Sensi Geraldine Idowu, my Tactile Interpreter who went all the way with me- Mr. Samuel James Femi, all the LALIF team members and my siblings. I will continue to do my best for you all”.
To all persons with disabilities: “Your disability is what you define it to be, not what people tell you it is. Your disability doesn’t define you, people’s opinion doesn’t define you. Only you define yourself. It’s all about you and what you want your life to be”
As most people never expected the Deafblind advocate to venture into sports, let alone the martial arts, and go on to compete therein at a national event, all eyes are on him, waiting to see the next surprise he would spring on the world.